MORENO VALLEY: Voters favor one incumbent, reject another

Moreno Valley voters on Tuesday, Nov. 6, appear to have elected City Councilman Jesse Molina to a second term and unseated incumbent District 3 City Councilwoman Robin Hastings.

District 5 voters also appear to have elected educational consultant Victoria Baca to the seat vacated by City Councilman Bill Batey, which he held for four terms.

With 100 percent of precincts counted, Molina received 2,609 votes, or almost 54 percent of ballots cast. Hastingsâ challenger city Planning Commissioner Tom Owings received 3,044 votes, or nearly 41 percent of ballots cast. Baca held off seven other candidates, receiving 1,331 votes, or about 29 percent of ballots cast.

Fifteen candidates ran for seats in districts 1, 3 and 5. Owings, Molina and Hastings were among four candidates who received well over $10,000 in campaign contributions. Manhattan Beach-based Skechers backed Molina and Owings, contributing $10,000 to Molina and $20,000 to Owings.

However, Baca captured an early lead in her race, despite trailing challenger Gary Capolino in campaign contributions. Capolino received $10,000 from Skechers and $10,000 from Highland Fairview, the developer of Skechersâ Moreno Valley warehouse.

Baca, 53, has worked with Highland Fairview President and CEO Iddo Benzeevi but didnât receive any contributions from him or Skechers.

Critics, candidates and elected officials have said they believe the City Council will be the rubber stamp for Benzeeviâs plans, including the proposed 41.6 million square-foot warehouse development known as the World Logistics Center to be constructed on Moreno Valleyâs east side.

Baca in 2010 was convicted of obstructing a sobriety checkpoint. She has said she was doing what needed to be done to help residents, many of them Hispanic, who feared arrest if they were caught without drivers licenses.

In 1997, she and Raul Wilson, then members of the Mexican Political Association, filed a lawsuit against the Val Verde Unified School District over free speech issues. Baca and Wilson dropped their lawsuit in exchange for $9,999 from the district and $15,000 from the estate of the districtâs deceased attorney, Laurence Labovitz.

Molina said he won re-election because the voters believe in him and that he is trying to do whatâs best for the Moreno Valley. He said he is not a puppet of Skechers or developers who contributed to his campaign.

âMy vote is for what the people want,â said Molina, 59. âWe need jobs out here.â

Owings couldnât be reached for comment.

Hastings said she believes she would have been the sole dissenting vote on the five-member council if she had won re-election. Hastings said she is happy with what she accomplished in four years, including Nason Street improvements.

âThe voters decided to go in a different direction,â said Hastings, 59, who is Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashleyâs chief of staff. âThat was their decision.â

Critics used social media such as Facebook to express displeasure with election results that showed Baca, Molina and Owings as early and continuous frontrunners. District 3 candidate Carlos Thomas Ketcham was blamed with splitting the vote and costing Hastings her seat.

Ketcham took issue with the criticism. The most recent elections results showed that he came in last behind Hastings, Owings and political newcomer Jose Garcia, an independent contractor.

âDonât look at me,â Ketcham said. âLook at Jose Garcia. He was completely unknown, didnât raise hardly any money, barely campaigned and didnât attend any of the candidate forums. He got 1,400 votes.â

Garcia, 39, couldnât be reached for comment.

Follow Lora Hines on Twitter: @LoraHines and online at http://blog.pe.com/moreno-valley/

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